Sandal construction



Jan. 11, 1966 H. SCHWARZ 3,228,124

SANDAL CONSTRUCTION Filed July 2. 1964 INVENTOR HERMHNN scHwnRz W/ ML [-HWJ United States Patent 3,228,124 SANDAL CQNSTRUCTION Hermann Schwarz, lndustriestrasse 2, Weinfelden, Thur-gnu, Switzerland Filed July 2, 1964, Ser. No. 379,266 Claims priority, application Switzerland, July 3, 1963, 8,344/63 3 Claims. (Cl. 36-115) This invention relates in general to footwear construction, and in particular to a new and useful sandal having an improved foot bed construction with a holding strap secured in a recess defined between a flexible walking sole and a substantially rigid intermediate layer.

Foot sandals are known that consist of a piece of wood with the front part of the wood having a slot extending perpendicular to its peripheral surface for receiving a holding strap therethrough. Such a sandal not only is relatively uncomfortable to wear due to the rigidness of its one piece foot bed construction, but also requires a good fixation of the holding strap in the slot of the foot bed or sole portion. It has been suggested to only loosely draw the holding strap through the transverse slot in the foot bed, but this requires specific fixing means for the slot. A disadvantage is that the holding strap does not stay fixed when the sandal is worn and shifts with certain movements of the foot. In addition each holding strap will gradually stretch and become smooth and will shift in the slot of the rigid wooden foot bed more and more easily as time goes on so that it can only be held in its correct position with difficulty.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a sandal having a foot bed which advantageously is made up of three separate layers including an upper resilient or semi-resilient layer, advantageously made of a material such as cork chips. The upper layer is fixed to an intermediate layer of wood or similar substantially rigid material. On the bottom side of the intermediate layer an outer resilient layer of a material such as a rubber, elastic or plastic is secured. Between the intermediate wooden layer and the outer resilient layer there is defined a transverse layer and the outer resilient layer there is defined a transverse recess having a depth which is advantageously slightly less than the thickness of a foot holding strap. The foot holding strap is adapted to be inserted in the recess between the intermediate layer and the outer resilient layer of the foot bed. The recess dimension is such that when the sandal is worn the rigid intermediate layer is advantageously pressed against the holding strap which is carried about the outer, flexible layer.

The wooden or substantially rigid layer of the foot bed, therefore, serves as a rigid bearing for the relatively flexible cork layer which forms a surface for receiving the foot and also forms a support for the holding strap which is kept stationary by the pressure of the intermediate layer on the outer resilient layer during walking. The construction gives the necessary stability to the sandal and additional fixing means for the holding strap are not required. The holding strap is securely maintained in the recess of the wooden layer by the upward pressure of the rubber elastic outer walking sole due to the weight of the wearer.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide an improved sandal construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sandal construction having a rigid intermediate layer with a resilient or semi-resilient layer therea-bove for receiving the foot and a resilient walking sole secured therebelow, the intermediate layer having a recess defined transversely across the bottom for receiving a holding strap which bears against the walking sole.

Patented Jan. 11, 1966 ice A further object of the invention is to provide a sandal having a holding strap which is secured between a resilient walking sole layer and the remaining portion of the foot bed by the pressure of the wearer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sandal which is comfortable, and includes means for anchoring the holding strap in a simple and inexpensive manner.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of the forward portion of a sandal constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial section taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a partial section taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention embodied therein comprises a sandal generally designated ll) having a foot bed or sole portion generally designated 12 with a holding strap 4 carried thereby. The holding strap 4 may advantageously comprise a single resilient strap member or a two piece strap element having buckles (not shown) at each end.

In accordance with the invention the foot bed portion 12 advantageously comprises three separate layers, an upper layer 1 of a resilient material with some degree of rigidity and advantageously is of pressed cork chips. A somewhat rigid intermediate layer 2 is secured to the upper layer 1 such as by adhesive. A flexible bottom layer or resilient walking sole layer 5 is advantageously secured to the under side of the intermediate layer 2 by means of adhesive. The bottom side of the intermediate layer 2 advantageously includes a transverse recess 3 into which the holding strap 4 is fitted. The holding strap 4 is advantageously made of a leather material and is of a thickness made slightly greater than the depth of the recess 3 and is in normal pressure contact with layer 5. The layer 5 advantageously is of a resilient material such as a rubber elastic or corresponding plastic material.

The upper layer 1 forms a suitable support for the foot of the wearer and when the wearer exerts downward pressure, the walking sole layer 5 advantageously bears upwardly against the holding strap 4 and secures it in the recess 3. In some instances, it is advantageous to secure the strap 4 against transverse movement by gluing it to either the intermediate layer 2 or the bottom layer 5. A feature of the construction is that the holding strap 4 will not be displaced when walking whether it is secured in position or not. Even after the holding strap 4- is worn after long period of use, the resilient bottom layer 5 will still bear against the strap to hold it in position during walking. It is also possible without difficulty to exchange the holding strap 4 by directing it out through one end of the recess. With the preferred embodiment of the invention described the intermediate rigid layer 2 which is usually made of solid wood need not be cut with a relatively narrow slot through its thickness, but it is only necessary to cut a recess into the underside of the Wood which will not produce any tendency to splitting of the intermediate layer 2.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A sandal construction comprising a sole formed of an intermediate substantially rigid layer, an upper foot receiving somewhat resilient layer and a bottom resilient walking sole layer; said intermediate layer having a face abutting said bottom resilient walking sole layer with a transverse groove thereacross, and a foot holding strap extending through the groove and between said intermediate layer and said lower walking sole layer and being of a thickness to project out of the groove and bear against said bottom walking sole layer, said walking sole layer acting to hold said holding strap in position when the sandal is subjected to the weight of the wearer by hearing against said holding strap, said holding strap being secured to at least one of said walking sole layers and said intermediate layer.

2. A sandal comprising a sole having a Wooden intermediate layer, an upper layer of pressed cork chips secured to said wooden layer and adapted to receive the foot of the wearer and a bottom resilient layer secured to the underside of said intermediate Wooden layer; said wooden layer having a transverse recess defined across the bottom surface, and a foot holding strap positioned in the transverse recess of the wooden layer and being of a dimension to extend downwardly from the recess into engagement with the resilient bottom layer, said resilient bottom layer acting to hold said foot holding strap in position during the wearing of the sandal.

3. A sandal comprising a sole having a wooden intermediate layer, an upper layer of pressed cork chips secured to said Wooden layer and adapted to receive the foot of the wearer and a bottom resilient layer secured to the underside of said intermediate wooden layer; said wooden layer having a transverse recess defined across the bottom surface, and a foot holding strap positioned in the transverse recess of the wooden layer and being of a dimension to extend downwardly from the recess into engagement with the resilient bottom layer, said resilient bottom layer acting to hold said foot holding strap in position during the wearing of the sandal, said foot holding strap being secured to said foot bed portion with adhesive.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,823,445 9/1931 Goldstone 36-11.5 2,343,701 3/1944 Pickens 36-1l.5 2,642,677 6/1953 Yates 36ll.5

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SANDAL CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A SOLE FORMED OF AN INTERMEDIATE SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID LAYER, AN UPPER FOOT RECEIVING SOMEWHAT RESILIENT LAYER AND A BOTTOM RESILIENT WALKING SOLE LAYERS; SAID INTERMEDIATE LAYER HAVING A FACE ABUTTING SAID BOTTOM RESILIENT WALKING SOLE LAYER WITH A TRANSVERSE GROOVE THEREACROSS, AND A FOOT HOLDING STRAP EXTENDING THROUGH THE GROOVE AND BETWEEN SAID INTERMEDIATE LAYER AND SAID LOWER WALKING SOLE LAYER AND BEING OF A THICKNESS TO PROJECT OUT OF THE GROOVE AND BEAR AGAINST SAID BOTTOM WALKING SOLE LAYER, SAID WALKING SOLE LAYER ACTING TO HOLD SAID HOLDING STRAP IN POSITION WHEN THE SANDAL IS SUBJECTED TO THE WEIGHT OF THE WEARER BY BEARING AGAINST SAID HOLDING STRAP, SAID HOLDING STRAP BEING SECURED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID WALKING SOLE LAYERS AND SAID INTERMEDIATE LAYER. 